I recently watched this moving video (below) where David Attenborough, a British biologist and broadcaster known for his natural history television series, talks about reducing the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and hope. He said, “Nature is a key ally. Whenever we restore the wild it will recapture carbon and help us bring back balance to our planet.” He went on to state that “we must use this opportunity to create a more equal world. Our motivation must not be fear but hope.” I urge you to continue to make a positive difference in this world.
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Some Inspiration
“If you had not suffered as you have, there would be no depth to you as a human being, no humility, no compassion.” Eckhart Tolle
The Ocean’s Promise
Many of you know about reducing your carbon footprints to help mitigate climate change. Some people eat less meat, others work for companies which plant trees and re-build biodiverse forests. As we move forward in time it is also important to think about the oceans, as they absorb as much as 30% of our annual carbon emissions every year. Scientists in Florida recently tried an experiment, adding lime to the Apalachicola Bay, off Florida’s panhandle, in an effort to reduce the acidity level of the water. While the experiment did cut carbon levels and acidity, more work, on larger scales, has to be done. Increasing the oceans’ levels of carbon storage represents hope and promise as carbon levels throughout the world continue to increase.
You Can Do It
Here is a short video by Greta Thunberg, someone who very much inspires me. Please watch and share it. Thank you.
Happy Holidays!
There are numerous holidays at this special time of year and I would like to give thanks to you for reading my blog and being part of my life. Let us all rejoice in good health and many blessings, and may we remember to care for one another, and the world we live in.
Biodiversity & Climate Change
The World Wildlife Fund recently released its “Living Planet” report. Sadly, there has been a 69% drop in the numbers of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish since 1970. Populations in the Caribbean and Latin America did the worst, with an average decline of 94%. Global freshwater species also declined by 83% on average. The report said the key drivers of biodiversity decline include habitat loss, species overexploitation, invasive species, pollution, climate change and disease.
Anyone who cares about animals and wildlife must urge policymakers to transform economies so that natural resources are properly valued. Since biodiversity loss and climate change share many of the same underlying causes actions which transform food production and consumption, cut emissions, and increase investment in conservation can mitigate both.
“The world is waking up to the fact that our future depends on reversing the loss of nature just as much as it depends on addressing climate change. And you can’t solve one without solving the other,” says Carter Roberts, president and CEO of WWF-US. “Everyone has a role to play in reversing these trends, from individuals to companies to governments.”
Helping Hands
As the death toll climbs from Hurricane Ian we are reminded, yet again, of the increasing severity of climate change. We must continue to reduce our carbon footprints, and positively impact our world. I am heartened by all of the people volunteering to help those who have lost their homes and rebuild communities in Florida and Puerto Rico.
I am also buoyed by friends, colleagues, and others who are planting trees and working to increase biodiversity across the world. We know that we must continue to join together so that we have a livable planet.
New Beginnings
September is often a time of new beginnings and thus, I share some words from Christine Evangelou:
“I hope that the darkest nights of your soul
Give way to the glorious days of your spirit
I hope that through the shadows
Of those heart eclipses born of solitary evenings
A new life is born, and a change is set forth
I hope that you grant yourself the celestial passport
Your spirit has been yearning for
As you sweep into the deepest valleys of your soul
So you can gather the strength to soar to the highest mountain peaks
Breathing in the angelic essence of you
Fully, unashamedly, and unconditionally
I hope that you find the beat of your heart
In every flower, every meadow, every delight that your eyes can truly see
For it is within that beauty that your spirit lives
A conscious connection, a godly reflection
Of all natural, ethereal, fountains and springs
I hope that you can see beyond the clouds
To the sunlight that is waiting to peek its way through
Remember, the blanket of sky that keeps you warm at night
Is one of a silver, shimmering starry view
It is where you are held, always loved and at peace
A lustrous artwork of angels to whisper their magic as your heart speaks.”
We Can Do Better
As many of you know, I love the beach. There is something very restorative about feeling my feet in the sand, hearing the sound of the waves roll back and forth, and swimming in the ocean. Yet I was sadly confronted with a painful reality. I saw a beautiful seagull desperately trying to dislodge a fish hook that it had swallowed. All I could see was a fishing line and what appeared to be blood on the bird’s beak. While I reported the injured bird to the lifeguard and he said he would call it in, my thought was that the bird would die or starve before too long. Please, if you fish, have the decency to recycle your fishing lines properly, and don’t throw them back in the water. Or better yet, don’t fish. We can do better than this, folks. Birds don’t deserve to suffer at our hands.
Hope for Our World
I just read an interesting article written by Margaret Renki, an author who recently wrote a book entitled, “Graceland, at Last: Notes on Hope and Heartache from the American South”. In the article she spoke about Eastern monarch butterflies, those beautiful creatures who manage to fly nearly 3,000 of miles from the United States to Mexico but whose population is down by 88%. She was trying to save some caterpillars (who would become butterflies) she brought home from a garden center and I admit, part of me was looking for some inspiration in her words. While I did not find a flowery quote, I found some solace knowing that someone else out there besides me is also trying to help the natural world. Thank you, Margaret Renki.